MONTREAL - Over the years, I have received relatively few complaint letters, and by few I mean probably fewer than 100. Having written almost 750 reviews, that number is low. Complaints usually come from people who don’t agree with a review, be it positive or negative.

Every so often comes one head-scratcher of a complaint, three of which I will never forget. One was from a woman who pontificated at length over how I mentioned wine too often in reviews (I figure she’s no oenophile), and another was from a man questioning why I didn’t have a line on the boilerplate of the review listing portion size (I figure he’s a glutton). Then came one from a reader complaining that I returned to review old restaurants too often instead of sticking to new establishments.

The first two complaints I waved off (wine is an essential part of the restaurant experience and any unusual developments re: portion size would be mentioned in the write-up). The third, though, I did not. Restaurants are a constantly evolving enterprise that can last for decades or months, improving constantly or, worst-case scenario, becoming complacent and disappointing Bob and Sally at every turn. Trust me, I get a lot of mail about that, too. I allow about three years before return visits, and on the whole, I’d say the chances of improvement or decline are about equal.

Five years ago, I wrote a positive review of the West Island’s Mundo Trattoria. Located in the Piazza Azzurri strip mall at the corner of St-Charles Blvd. and Highway 40, Mundo is owned by chef Vito Maiolo, who shares the cooking duties with his mother, Quintina Mercuri. There is nothing more exciting for an English restaurant critic in Montreal than discovering a) a terrific restaurant in a strip mall and b) a terrific restaurant in the West Island! When I last dined there, I was impressed with most every bite. From the calamari to lobster ravioli to mama’s biscotti, Mundo scored over and over. I’ve been wanting to return for an old-school Italian fix, so I scooped up the kids and headed to Kirkland.

Arriving on time for our 8 p.m. reservation, I was a bit teed off to find our table wasn’t ready until 8:25. A few drinks on the house while waiting would have been nice. Instead, we were served some complimentary nibblies once seated, nice gesture if a little late coming. The 120-seat dining room was packed to the rafters, with quite the number of comely thirtysomethings, including plenty of girls in tight skirts and towering stilettos. Glamazons aside, there are also tables filled with couples and families.

Seated near the entranceway next to the glassed-in wine cellar and bustling bar (complete with flat-screen TV running the hockey game), I could see the open kitchen in the back. But if Maiolo and Mercuri were there, I didn’t recognize them. Sadly, I didn’t recognize much of the food, either. I remember Mundo’s cuisine as traditional Italian made with panache. But few of the dishes I was served met my expectations from the past.

Panzanella, that great Italian salad composed of stale bread, tomatoes, onions, cucumber and basil, started off the meal on the wrong foot. Made of tomato segments, large pieces of cucumber, red onion and rock-hard chunks of baguette, the salad was hardly the cohesive mix of these foodstuffs bound together with vinaigrette, but more a bowl of individual ingredients, like a Greek salad.

A caprese salad fared better because the tomatoes were flavourful and the mozzarella was good quality. Yet there was so much of it that we could only manage half the dish.

Better was a bowl of mussels bathed in a creamy sauce enhanced with leek and ginger. But, again, the portion was far too large for a starter. Fortunately, the fried calamari was as delicious as I remember. Served with a spicy mayonnaise, the fat squid rings were tender and lightly breaded without being greasy. In my last review I called them the best I had tasted, and like the calamari at Milos, these are definitely in the top category.

Just when things were looking up, along came our four main courses: two mediocre pastas, a dreary meat dish and a risotto perhaps most generously described as downright awful. I had pleaded with Maiolo in my 2008 write-up to add a risotto to the menu. If they’re like this one … mistake! Consisting of overcooked rice mixed with small shrimp and artichoke pieces, the risotto was not only too dense and starchy, but covered in a sprinkling of cheap Parmesan cheese. And the totally unrelated spear of rosemary garnish was just icing on the cake. Ugh.

Served on a huge plate, a dish of rolled veal scallopini stuffed with prosciutto and cheese lacked finesse. The first tastes of the meat roll were so tough and heavy that after a few bites, I lost interest. And as for the vegetable accompaniments, there was broccolini, red peppers, small yellow peppers and undercooked baby bok choy all spread about in a thin brown jus. Again the portion was too big, the flavours were dull and the presentation was just plunked on a plate topped with yet another — you guessed it — rosemary spear.

Alas, the pastas also lacked pizzazz. A dish of orecchetti with sun-dried tomatoes and arugula was all gummy textures and lacklustre flavours. And as for the classic bolognese served on shell-shaped pasta, I found the meat sauce lacked richness and depth of flavour. Frankly, my local pizza parlour can do better. And again, the dish was covered in more of that cheap-tasting Parmesan powder. No thanks.

Desserts dropped the dinner down even further. The tiramisu tasted mostly of coffee grains, and a caramel and chocolate tart was heavy and fabricated with the cheapest chocolate I’ve tasted in a while. Thank heavens for the crème brûlée, which my kids (who said they were too full to finish off the bolognese) devoured in six bites.

As for service … good, not great. It’s not like the waiters did anything wrong, but I felt they were more plate carriers, save for the fellow who served us our wine, who made a little extra effort to commend our choice from the solid wine list with markups less egregious than I remember and many bottles under the $60 mark.

Paying the bill at my once-favourite West Island dinner spot, I was feeling more than a little downcast. Where was the sharp Italian food I remembered here from the past? Why such a heavy hand with the cooking? And what’s with all those large portions?

Exiting the building, I spotted a framed copy of my 2008 review, and thought of that reader who complained about my revisiting old restaurants.

As my night at Mundo proved, no restaurant can rest on its laurels. And as for the reader looking for large portions, buddy, do I have the place for you …

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